Jam Art’s album Ominous opens with some impressive instrumentalization in their first track, “False Feeding.” My initial impression was confusion because in parts I was reminded of Candlebox, while others reminded me of progressive metal laced with elements of speed metal. The talent of the band is undeniable. This musical pattern, however, continues to devolve with songs like MoDown (entirely instrumental aside from a “F*** You!”), somewhat resembling the early endeavours of bands like Mushroomhead and Slipknot. “Til the End” shifts back to Nirvana mixed with Pearl Jam and Buffalo Tom. In other songs, the band switches to hardcore and deathcore mode. While I leave this album-listening session entirely confused on the direction the band is attempting to reach, the musicality and talent is apparent. Production-wise, however, the album is lacking. While it does work well for alternative or grunge rock with an early 90’s garage sound (thinking back to Tad, Gretta, and others), it does not work particularly well when mixing nu-metal, deathcore, hardcore and every genre in between
JamArt: Facebook
Release Year: 2024
Label: self-released
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Scott Brison
